


Close Behind (sequel to Close Enough)

by be_a_rebel



Series: Close Encounters [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Spoilers for SPN S5 finale and episode 5x09 of Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-08
Updated: 2010-06-08
Packaged: 2017-10-10 00:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/be_a_rebel/pseuds/be_a_rebel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He can look Dean in the eye, no problem. Dean's just Dean. He'd never judge the Doctor. He's done far too much himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close Behind (sequel to Close Enough)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural nor do I own Doctor Who.

Dean finds the little red box one quiet, strange day.

He's been looking for the Doctor for hours and the Tardis isn't telling him anything.

The box falls out of one of the millions of cupboards that line the inside of the Tardis.

Sometimes Dean thinks that Sam would have loved this ship. He can imagine him as a little kid before he got bossy and angry, darting in and out of the cupboards.

Before he grew up and realized the world really fucking sucked. Dean didn't need to grow up to figure that out.

Funny, Dean never thought the Doctor was the marrying kind.

*

Here's another fun fact about the Doctor. He never throws anything away. Ever.

Dean's not a fairytale princess and he doesn't expect anything from the Doctor, hell, he doesn't expect anything from anyone and he knows there have been people before him and that there will be people after him. He knows he's hardly the Doctor's favourite, in fact he doesn't even come close.

He was just there, that's all. The new Doctor fell into his backyard and he was there, eating a sandwich. He's just there for the ride until the Doctor finds what (who) he's looking for or mends whatever he's messed up so badly that he's having trouble looking anyone in the eye.

He can look Dean in the eye, no problem. Dean's just Dean. He'd never judge the Doctor. He's done far too much himself.

He wonders about that little red box sometimes. Wonders if it was for Rose or whether there was a new girl to compliment the new Doctor. He wonders what she looked like, if she was the opposite of Rose or a copy, if the Doctor was trying to forget or just never remember.

The Doctor gives him too much time to think sometimes.

A week (month, years) after he finds the box, he also finds a red scarf wrapped around a bomber jacket.

None of it makes sense. But he knows better than to ask.

They never talk about anything important anyway.

*

Captain Jack shows up when Dean's trying to get a human (alien) child out of the mouth of a large, purple plant.

It is always the fucking tentacles. Always.

The Doctor's fucked off to God knows where and Dean is furious because it's one thing for the Doctor to get flaky when they're floating through space alone, but it is an entirely different thing to fuck off when kids are in danger.

The little girl (if she is one, Dean can't really tell with this species) is clinging to his knees and crying buckets and Dean throws a horrified look towards Jack who seems to be having trouble keeping his smile to himself. Dean is reminded of Sam suddenly, hard like a punch to the gut except that Sam wouldn't try to hide his laughter, he'd be bent over huffing from it, probably taking pictures.

He hates that he's traveled through space and time and all he's learnt is to miss his brother even more.

The kid's mom (dad, God knows) shows up and takes her (him) away, scowling at Dean (maybe it's scowling) and muttering something in a language that sounds like tap dancing.

Not that he's ever seen or heard tap dancing.

Fucking Sam and his 'diverse' interests.

Jack helps him find the Doctor and then stands by with his eyebrows slowly climbing his face while Dean destroys the Doctor, spit flying from his mouth.

Dean's an inventive curser. Even the Doctor appears shocked when Dean goes into the eleventh minute of his rant.

Dean takes a breath in the twelfth minute and realizes he sounds exactly like his brother, like a crazy, nagging, little bitch and he wants to simultaneously throw up, break something and cry.

He does none of the above.

The Doctor seems to get the message.

*

Jack stays with them for a few days. He's louder than he was before. The Doctor seems to like the noise and Dean frequently wakes up in the middle of the night in his narrow bed in the Tardis to shouts of laughter and the clap of hands.

He usually goes back to sleep.

One night he wakes up and Cas is there, leaning against the wall and watching him. He briefly considers rolling over and going right back to sleep. Cas can fuck off and come back when it's daytime and the Doctor and Jack aren't singing songs from the Little Mermaid.

He doesn't know if he's more pissed about their singing or the fact that he recognizes the songs.

Fucking Sammy and his fucking Disney fetish.

"Darling its better, down where it's wetter…"

Dean groans and presses his face into his pillow.

He almost misses the sad silences of before.

He turns over and looks at Cas who has one eyebrow raised. He has a feeling Cas couldn't do that before.

Being sheriff seems to agree with him.

"Isn't that from The Little Mermaid?"

Cas is very serious. Dean wonders when his brother had time to introduce Cas to Disney. Or if Jimmy was secretly a lover of animated movies.

Dean chooses not to respond. Some conversations should not take place ever. Even on time travel ships with drunk Time Lords. And Jack.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm just peachy."

Cas just looks at him. He doesn't sigh like Lisa would or gnaw on his lip like Sam or call him an idjit.

This is why he likes Castiel. He sees Dean's bullshit but never comments on it.

The Andrews Sisters start up again, this time shouting rather than singing and never has Dean wanted to kill them both more.

Cas asks him if he wants to go get a drink. Dean takes a few minutes to turn that idea over and is kind of really proud of himself for the fact that he's managed to turn a goddamn angel of the Lord into a lush.

And they thought he'd never amount to anything.

He can hear what sounds suspiciously like a saucepan banging against the walls of the Tardis.

"Yeah, all right."

They come back a few hours later and the Doctor is half unconscious on the floor of the Tardis with a plastic bottle in his hand, humming 'pour unfortunate souls' under his breath.

Jack is nowhere to be seen.

Cas looks at him. He looks at Cas.

If the Doctor wakes up with a moustache and a beard, it's his own fault.

Dean never thought an angel would be so good with a biro.

*

They're sitting on the top of a dam, watching water rush through what looks like steel but probably isn't, in the year 3014 when Dean realizes it's time to go back.

He doesn't know how he knows or why but he knows it's time.

The Doctor knows it without him actually saying it because this one is weirder than the old one.

Dean thinks he might like this one better. This one can be fixed. Dean doesn't like to see other things being broken. He's enough on his own.

It's overcast instead of sunny when they land in Lisa's backyard.

This time the Doctor has broken her shed.

Dean glares at him, suddenly terrified that he's missed years of Ben growing up, that the kid's gone on his first date without Dean's advice on how exactly to get a hand under her shirt, that the kid will be taller and harder and Dean won't have been there to stop any of it.

The Doctor raises a placating hand and takes him inside.

Only two hours have passed since Dean left.

Dean doesn't think he's ever been so relieved.

Except for the time he found Sam on a motel bed, air back in his lungs. Alive.

After Dean had sold his soul.

They stand in Lisa's kitchen, dirty dishes in her sink, Dean's boxers in the laundry basket on the floor and carefully refuse to look at each other.

"Well. I'll be off then."

Dean looks at him, sideways, slowly and they catch each other's eyes and grin.

"It was good, yeah?"

"It was." He doesn't think he can thank the Doctor. He doesn't think that Doctor could take it if he did. He suddenly wants to tell the Doctor all the things he never managed to say, he wants to tell him to throw away the little red box and the bomber jacket, all the pictures of the blonde girl with the buck teeth and the tall redhead with the amazing breasts and the short redhead with the wonderful legs.

He wants to tell him to forget Jack and all the loss that he brings.

He wants to tell him to move on.

He doesn't. He doesn't follow the Doctor into the backyard and wave goodbye because he's Dean Winchester and he doesn't move when he hears the Tardis leaving.

After a few minutes, he does the dishes and sorts the laundry and makes burgers and waits for Lisa and Ben to get home.

When Lisa gets home and keeps her keys on the countertop and smiles at him, he can't help but smile back.  
﻿﻿


End file.
